“The
Supreme Court, today, heard oral arguments in a case that affects one of the
most important issues facing our country – the imperative to address
climate-destabilizing pollution.”

“The
big news was that the biggest emitters in our nation recognized – clearly --
before the highest Court in our land that EPA has manifest authority to address
climate pollution from power plants and industrial sources.”

“Peter
Keisler, who argued today for the industrial petitioners, stated as follows in
response to questioning from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

‘I
think most critically, Your Honor, it includes the new source performance
standards program of Section 111 that this Court discussed in Connecticut v.
AEP. And this is a very important point, because this case is not about whether
EPA can regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources. This Court held that
it could under this program in Section 11 [sic].’

“While
we wait for another day to hear more from the Court about the single question
presented today and the full dimensions of EPA’s legal authority, there is no
question that EPA has ample authority to protect our families and communities
from the carbon pollution discharged by power plants and other large industrial
sources.”

Environmental
Defense Fund is a party to the case before the Supreme Court and
participated in the presentation of oral arguments when the case was before the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.